Driving in New England Winters

[Robert.Boston]

The only hard part about the commute today was getting onto my street from my driveway and then making the corner off my street. Giant walls of snow and tight corners are tougher to deal with in a long, wide car. Probably should have taken the T in today instead of driving, but reports were that that was a mob scene.

 

[PeterK]

I drove to Mount Sunapee with my son for a day of skiing today. We left Cambridge a little behind schedule at nearly 7am. I decided last night to do a range charge, but it was not quite done as of our planned 6:30 departure time (120V takes its time) so stopped at Porter Square Shopping Center to plug into the ChargePoint while getting some breakfast. We hit the road with 257 mi Rated Range for a 93 mile trip each way in 30-degree weather.

Started out conservatively at 65 mph on the cruise control once we got settled in on I-93 north, but over time pushed it up to 68, then 70, then 72 and finally 75. Had the heat on range mode, 68 degrees with seats on 1, and periodically needed to run the rear and front defrosters to keep the windows clear. We were very comfortable (helped by being dressed in layers for skiing) and the ride went very smoothly, and after we exited I-89 onto 202, 114 then 103 I was generally in the 55-60 mph range (except for one time passing when I really punched it).

I had researched on Plugshare and knew that Sunapee has a 120V outlet on the outside of a maintenance shed, and had spoken to someone there yesterday. Got there with 122 rated range remaining and was pointed to the shed by a parking attendant, parked and got out the cable. No luck - the car chimed and showed red around the charging port, and red on the box on the cable. I thought it might have been because the flip cover over the outlet was slightly getting in the way of the plug, so asked a guy there if there were any other plugs I could try. Two different ones just inside the shed also showed red. He assured me the circuit was operational, pointing to an emergency light that had a red indicator on. He did say that the building's electrical system was old and weak, and that when they welded in the basement the lights dimmed. So I assume it just wasn't delivering enough amperage to power the Model S, though from Plugshare and my conversations it appeared that other EVs have charged there. Any ideas?

We gave up and parked in the normal lot with some worry, thinking we would need to stop in Concord or elsewhere for a Chargepoint and early dinner on the way home. Had a good day skiing on well groomed icy cover, then headed for the car at 2:30 to find 96 rated range remaining for our 93 mile drive home. Fortunately despite temperatures in the high 20s, thanks to the pano the sun had warmed up the interior so we drove comfortably with no heat nor even seat heating. We also benefited from a downhill trajectory, and I maintained a steady pace of 55 on the small roads then 65 on I-89. Just to be safe, we set a course for the Concord Renaissance Inn which according to my app had Chargepoints, hoping to find food nearby. It is just north of where I-89 meets I-93 so a convenient location.

Got there, found six spaces with three new Chargepoints, pulled into one and tried to authorize but it showed some kind of fault. Moved to the next one and authorized the card, but the J1772 wouldn't release from the holster. Read the screen to see a message about opening the door - a panel on the front covering up a 120V receptacle. So I plugged into that and got the car charging at 2mph, then went inside to find out about the J1772 (thought it might be controlled by the hotel staff to give guests priority) and where to eat. It turned out that they had a screw-up with the electrician, who only installed 120V and ran conduit too small to add 240V. So they will have to dig everything up and start over sometime in the spring. Hard to believe...

Fortunately at this point we had 65 miles to go and 85 miles rated range - and our average consumption was running under the Rated line. After charging for less than 10 minutes we decided to get back on the highway and turned the heat on to 68. As we neared Cambridge the color of the battery icon turned to yellow and warnings popped up a few times, but we made it home with 15 miles of rated range remaining. Six hours later on 120V the car is still only up to 31 miles (SolarCity's contractor installed the 240V line on Thursday, but we're waiting for NStar to put in a meter). I will decide tomorrow whether to leave her charging in Porter Square for the day, or to take her to Logan Monday morning and charge there until I return Wednesday afternoon.

Lessons learned:
• The 85 KWH S can make it from Cambridge to Sunapee and back on a range charge without problems
• Get fully charged before departure (240V will help)
• You can drive pretty comfortably while managing energy consumption
• Chargepoints and plugs aren't always what they seem - have a backup plan
• Join Plugshare and Recargo, take pictures (forgot to) and post them along with updates for the benefit of others in similar situations

 

[jerry33]

It turned out that they had a screw-up with the electrician, who only installed 120V and ran conduit too small to add 240V. So they will have to dig everything up and start over sometime in the spring. Hard to believe...

Not hard to believe at all. When installing a basic NEMA 14-50 in my garage, I had two master electricians come out to give me quotes. Both seemed confused and unfamiliar with a NEMA 14-50--even with Tesla's cheat sheet. If confusion happens over something simple like a 14-50, it's not hard to believe that anything more complex would cause even more confusion. I suspect that most electricians only wire extra lights, 120V plugs, and replace the odd service panel but rarely do anything else so the chances of getting things right (without your supervision) are not as good as they should be.

 

[hcsharp]

...Just to be safe, we set a course for the Concord Renaissance Inn which according to my app had Chargepoints, hoping to find food nearby. It is just north of where I-89 meets I-93 so a convenient location.

Got there, found six spaces with three new Chargepoints, pulled into one and tried to authorize but it showed some kind of fault. Moved to the next one and authorized the card, but the J1772 wouldn't release from the holster. Read the screen to see a message about opening the door - a panel on the front covering up a 120V receptacle. So I plugged into that and got the car charging at 2mph, then went inside to find out about the J1772 (thought it might be controlled by the hotel staff to give guests priority) and where to eat. It turned out that they had a screw-up with the electrician, who only installed 120V and ran conduit too small to add 240V. So they will have to dig everything up and start over sometime in the spring. Hard to believe...
...

Those chargers work and are wired properly for 208v 30A. I used them last month. I assume you're referring to the Concord Courtyard immediately off I-93? Can't miss it, it's on all the major charging maps. Plugshare shows 120V stations at the Residence Inn, and they are clearly marked as 120v on Plugshare, and disabled on Chargepoint maps. I hope you didn't go there by accident?

I've often had ground faults on my first try but it has always charged without incident after restarting. The only problem I had was it flashed "Card Not Authorized" once but I simply called ChargePoint toll-free support (on the station) and they authorized it remotely and sent me a new card.

I've been told the owners of the Concord Courtyard are sensitive to environmental issues and installed the stations to support EVs.

It would be helpful to have 70A somewhere in Concord. Wish I knew somebody there who would let us install an HPC.

 

[PeterK]

Those chargers work and are wired properly for 208v 30A. I used them last month. I assume you're referring to the Concord Courtyard immediately off I-93? Can't miss it, it's on all the major charging maps. Plugshare shows 120V stations at the Residence Inn, and they are clearly marked as 120v on Plugshare, and disabled on Chargepoint maps. I hope you didn't go there by accident?

I went to the Renaissance which was on one of the apps, maybe Recargo, and showed as Chargepoints not 120V. Courtyard was also on the map, but was a little further north. The people at the Renaissance said that Courtyard also had them as does a downtown building's parking lot, because they're all the same owner. I guess they used a different electrician than at the Courtyard, unfortunately. But we had enough to make it home anyway.

Any idea why the 120V circuit at Sunapee wouldn't charge the Model S? Is there something they can do about it? I asked if they had a 240V plug anywhere - his response seemed to indicate that they did, but he said their policy was not to let anyone plug into anything other than 120V in case a car got zapped. Maybe I'll educate them on charger options.

 

[hcsharp]

I went to the Renaissance which was on one of the apps, maybe Recargo, and showed as Chargepoints not 120V. Courtyard was also on the map, but was a little further north. The people at the Renaissance said that Courtyard also had them as does a downtown building's parking lot, because they're all the same owner. I guess they used a different electrician than at the Courtyard, unfortunately. But we had enough to make it home anyway.

I don't recommend Recargo for the east coast. They're great out west but not here. This is a perfectly good example. The other maps have it right. Recargo doesn't.

Any idea why the 120V circuit at Sunapee wouldn't charge the Model S? Is there something they can do about it? I asked if they had a 240V plug anywhere - his response seemed to indicate that they did, but he said their policy was not to let anyone plug into anything other than 120V in case a car got zapped. Maybe I'll educate them on charger options.

It should have told you what the fault was on the screen. Most ski areas generate a lot of their own power although they remain connected to the grid. I have found that the closer you are to a co-gen plant, the better your chances of throwing faults.

Your best bet is to educate them on chargers and what they have to gain from it. Don't forget to remind them there is a 30% tax credit until the end of this year.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Yesterday I drove from Charlestown MA to Hanover NH, and back. It was just above freezing here on the coast, but quickly fell below freezing; there was a strong wind from the west, 25 mph or so gusting above that. There was some snow flurries in New Hampshire; roads were wet in some places with runoff. My car had some snow/ice stuck on its front hood on the way there, which probably didn't help aerodynamics; it had melted by the time I drove home. Some notes:

• Started with full range charge (265 miles).
• Drove conservatively, 60-62mph, on cruise control, except for about 40 miles when I was able to draft a truck driving 64mph. Heat was off, having over-warmed the cabin from shore power during charging.
• Arrived in Hanover, 121 miles later, with 122 miles of rated range left. I.e. used 144 miles of rated range for 121 miles
• 1200 feet of elevation gain, which accounts for ~8 miles of range usage, i.e. net of 136 miles of rated range -- into a stiff wind.
• Plugged into a 120v/15A socket in Hanover, but still lost 3 miles of range over the 3.5 hours I was there. What's up with that? Kept the battery fully conditioned, at least.
• Great energy usage on the return; tooling along I-89 going south-east, generally downhill and with the wind at my back, I was below 200 Wh/mile for long stretches.
• Decided to stop in Concord NH to add some charge. The Courtyard by Marriott at the Convention Center is great--very convenient off I-93, two free ChargePoint chargers (208v/30A), a nice lounge with wifi and free coffee (wifi password is 61Y). Caught up on email and voicemail, and happened to meet an old friend who was checking into the hotel. Arrived at the hotel with 79 miles of rate range.
• Topped up charge to 99 miles; drove the 67 miles home at the speed limit, with heat. Arrived with 31 miles of rated range--almost exactly 1:1 for rated range. This route is slightly downhill and was slightly with the wind.

Conclusions:

1. I could have made this 242-mile trip without the Concord stop, especially if I had continued to drive ~62mph instead of 65-70mph. (Posted speed limits were 65 mostly, with some 55.)
2. If it hadn't been so windy and cold, I could likely have driven 65-70 mph throughout and made the trip.
3. Knowing the Concord charger was there made eliminated range anxiety (or will the next time I do this). It helps that this was a perfectly pleasant place to spend some time.
4. Don't count on 120v charging to add range in the winter. Still important to plug in so you don't lose range.

 

[hcsharp]

Yesterday I drove from Charlestown MA to Hanover NH, and back. ...

Conclusions:

1. I could have made this 242-mile trip without the Concord stop, especially if I had continued to drive ~62mph instead of 65-70mph. (Posted speed limits were 65 mostly, with some 55.)
2. If it hadn't been so windy and cold, I could likely have driven 65-70 mph throughout and made the trip.
3. Knowing the Concord charger was there made eliminated range anxiety (or will the next time I do this). It helps that this was a perfectly pleasant place to spend some time.
4. Don't count on 120v charging to add range in the winter. Still important to plug in so you don't lose range.

Nice work to be able to make the round trip on one charge (or could have)! I make this trip several times a year, except in reverse (starting north of your destination) and ending in Wellesley or around Boston somewhere. I rarely use the Concord charging but it does indeed provide piece of mind. I'm trying to find somebody in Concord who will accommodate a 70A charger for which I would be happy to contribute towards the cost.

One thing you want to watch out for on this trip is snow. It will often be beautiful weather in Boston and Hanover. You mentioned 2200 ft elevation... going through the mountains between Concord and Lebanon, especially Grantham, you will often experience snow squalls that severely impact your range. Often they aren't forecast in the weather. I've made the trip twice where this happened. If the snow is wet and accumulates, don't be surprised to see close to 500+ wh/mi.

 

[PeterK]

1. I could have made this 242-mile trip without the Concord stop, especially if I had continued to drive ~62mph instead of 65-70mph. (Posted speed limits were 65 mostly, with some 55.)

You could have made it, but I'm looking forward to the West Lebanon / White River Junction Supercharger!

 

[Robert.Boston]

You could have made it, but I'm looking forward to the West Lebanon / White River Junction Supercharger!

Yes, indeed--that will make a huge difference. btw, if you are thinking of driving to Quebec, you will want to get a card for Le Circuit Electrique. It's a PITA because the website only is set up to ship within Canada, but if you contact David Turbide at the CAA ([email protected]), he can arrange to ship one to you.

 

[ADN_ModelS]

You could have made it, but I'm looking forward to the West Lebanon / White River Junction Supercharger!

Is this location confirmed, or a dream?

 

[Robert.Boston]

Is this location confirmed, or a dream?

There's a dot in the West Lebanon / WRJ area on the Supercharger "within 2 years" plan: Tesla Supercharger network